Race Report: Prospect Park

By the numbers:
Temperature 29F, winds north 15 MPH
Place: about 60/80. Back of the pack.
Distance: 35.54. Time: 1h37m13s.
Speed: 21.93 avg, 35.63 max
HR: 155 avg, 182 max
Cadence: 84 avg
Power: 237 avg, 1103 max
Calories: 1380

Overall: Keeping pace with the pack is easy. No punch for the field sprint.

I entered this race not really knowing what the outcome would be. I train at Prospect Park regularly, and know the course exceptionally well. I've even memorized the location of all the potholes. Dave Miller stayed over, and we left for the park at 6am.

Most of the race was disappointingly routine. The pack held a pretty easy pace. Lots of people were blocking, and everyone knew it and went around the blockers. Every break got caught, including the one I attempted in Lap 8. (Where were you, Dave? Oh, right - OTB.) I had no trouble staying the pack, as the pace is substantially easier than my training rides.

It came down to a field sprint. I had an okay position, but just didn't have the punch to keep up with the pack as it accelerated hard with 1000m to go. I finished behind the pack, not last, but not proudly.

I want to be out of this Cat 4 purgatory. I'm strong enough to hold on to a Cat 1/2/3 pack. I'm not strong enough to time trial off the front of the Cat 4 pack and hold them off, and as it stands, I've become a climber and lost my sprinting power. Five years ago, I would have averaged 175 BPM for this entire race, not 155. I need practice, experience, mentoring, and motivation, all of which are in short supply.

Next race in three weeks. More of the same. Yippee.